At the Toronto meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics it was suggested that the Surgical Section be responsible for a portion of the program at the next annual meeting, the presentations to be in the form of a symposium. Articles relating to surgical conditions in infants and children frequently appear in current medical literature presenting opinions which are often divergent, or even conflicting, and members of the Academy have often commented on this apparent confusion. It seemed timely, therefore, to select several of the more common of these conditions and assign each to a member of the Surgical Section for a discussion which might reasonably be expected to represent one of the views more generally accepted by surgeons primarily interested in children. Complete unanimity is of course not to be expected nor desired, as an honest difference of opinion promotes healthy discussion and progress.
Several of the comments on the presentations indicated that panel discussions on some of the subjects would be most interesting and might well be included in future programs.
The close attention and favorable reaction of the audience was most gratifying, and it was regrettable that Dr. Potts who planned and coordinated the Symposium was prevented by illness from acting as chairman. Illness also prevented Dr. Wilkinson from presenting his discussion on "Bronchiectasis" but fortunately his time could be made available for the Honorary Life President of the Surgical Section, Dr. William E. Ladd, whose excellent address will be long remembered by all who heard it.